Pickup trucks and similar motor vehicles provide enhanced features as compared to other motor vehicles primarily based upon their size and upon features such as truck beds which are particularly adapted for the moving and hauling of large amounts of materials. One (1) problem associated with such truck beds is that it can be difficult to determine the position of the tailgate from the interior of the vehicle. In general, the tailgate is located far from the interior portion and is low down, making visibility difficulty. In situations where the bed of the truck is being used, it is often impossible to directly view the back of the truck from the interior while driving.
Various attempts have been made to provide visual tailgate status indicators for pickup trucks and the like. Examples of these attempts can be seen by reference to several U.S. patents. U.S. Pat. No. 5,602,526, issued in the name of Read, describes a vehicle open door warning system which provides an illuminating indicator of door status for large trucks. The Read apparatus is designed to be easily visible through a side view minor from a vehicle's interior.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,137,419, issued in the name of Lennox et al., describes a pickup truck tailgate monitor which utilizes a push-button type switch and circuit to indicate via visual means whether a tailgate is in an open or closed position.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,000,563, issued in the name of Hensel, describes a tailgate position indicator which provides a simple mechanical visual indicator of tailgate position, visible through a side view minor from the interior of a vehicle.
While these apparatuses fulfill their respective, particular objectives, each of these references suffer from one (1) or more of the aforementioned disadvantages. Many such apparatuses do not provide an indicator which is located within the interior of a vehicle. Also, many such apparatuses do not provide a means of simple retrofit to an existing vehicle. Furthermore, many such apparatuses do not provide variable powering means according to a user's needs. In addition, many such apparatuses cannot be mounted in a plurality of locations according to a user's preference. Accordingly, there exists a need for a tailgate status indicator without the disadvantages as described above. The development of the present invention substantially departs from the conventional solutions and in doing so fulfills this need.